Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell History 40 KW phosphoric acid fuel cell demonstration plant in South Windsor, Connecticut, 1979   Image #325,002,001 from the ETV Collection, U.S. Department of Energy Original Department of Energy caption: "External view of the 40-KW PC-18 Pilot Power Plant. "Onsite fuel cell power plants contain three major sub-systems, or sections. In the fuel processing section, natural gas is converted to a hydrogen-rich fuel. It is then fed into the power section, where the hydrogen is electro-chemically reacted with oxygen from the air to produce direct current (DC) electricity and by-product heat (in the form of hot water or steam). In the power conditioning section, the DC electricity is converted to alternating current (AC) at the appropriate frequency and voltage levels. This 40 KW power plant, developed by the Team to Advance Research on Gas Energy Transformation (TARGET) and the United Technologies Corporation (UTC), achieved total efficiencies of up to 80 percent and paved the way for technical and operational field testing." If you have information about this fuel cell image, or PAFC technology in general, please fill out the Collecting History questionnaire accessible through the link at the top of the previous page. Return to text ©2001 Smithsonian Institution (Copyright Statement)